Tag: yoga teacher training

My webmaster/IT guy (aka The Husband) created a new page on Go Fit Girl! called My Yoga Classes.

On this page I list all (two so far) yoga classes on my schedule.

As I start subbing and possibly pick up my own regular class or two I will update the page.

I also have a little information on private one-on-one sessions. For more information on that you can e-mail me at ann@gofitgirl.com.

You can find the My Yoga Classes tab on Go Fit Girl’s homepage.

If you are in the Bay Area: The graduates from Deep Yoga 2013/2014 class are hosting a Summer Series of yoga classes starting next Thursday, July 10 at 7 p.m. at Piedmont Yoga Studio.

The Summer Series is every Thursday night through August 21. I am teaching with my friend Sandra on July 24. And I plan to attend most classes to support my fellow new trained teachers. Hope to see you there.

A few of the students were invited by me, many were Hilda’s regulars and there was one couple who found the class by looking up a class that fit in their schedule. Plus they liked the idea of the donation class.

As I am not a huge fan talking in front of a group of people (talk about taking myself out of my comfort zone) I was super nervous as the class began.

But eventually I felt comfortable and at ease. I felt confident in what and how I was teaching.

The class seemed to respond well to me, my humor, my class and my style. I just kept things simple and I was just who I am.

It was a bittersweet evening. The past 10 months I have learned so much. And I have developed relationships with these people every Thursday night, one Saturday month and a couple of Intensive Weekends.

But it has also been a long and tough road juggling school, homework, home yoga practice, challenges at work, personal life, etc. It was a lot to take on.

But I am glad I did it. And proud of myself as well.

Each mentor got up and said something about their yogini/yogi mentees.

Years ago I was in a yoga class and at the beginning of class the teacher told us what props we needed for class that day.

Someone walked into class after the prop instructions were given. I overheard a fellow student tell the other what props the teacher had requested. She looked at the helpful student and said, I don’t use props.

I almost laughed out loud.

(I typically grab two blocks, a strap and a blanket or two.)

There has been some talk about the use of props as cheating, which I personally find ridiculous. Use of a prop is not cheating.

Last night we discussed props in teacher training.

The assignment for last night was to present a use for a particular prop.

People showed uses with straps, blocks, blankets, sand bags, chairs and a few other non-typcial props, which proved to be fun.

I learned a lot of new uses of various props. Some were eye openers. Others were cool. And some I was aware of but appreciated the reminder.

Props can help you get into a pose you wouldn’t normally be able to or give you a different experience in a pose. Props can help you get … Continue reading

We have all worked with each other and most of us have worked with friends and family.

(Working with each other is great practice. But it is also easier because we are intermediate students and know how the pose is supposed to look, what we are supposed to do and how to modify when necessary.)

But teaching a class of beginner students really gave us the experience and insight to teach a beginner yoga class.

There were 20 of us teachers in training and 11 beginner students.

Each teacher in training taught one pose to the class.

I taught Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog) (pictured above). I had a plan on how to teach the pose and changed how I needed to teach it right before I got up there.

It’s OK to do the pose and teach it to beginners as it is happening. But it’s hard for students to hear you if you are upside down and your head is kinda buried.

So I did my best to teach the pose without actually doing the pose, which is challenging. But I think I … Continue reading

Many people I look up to and trust have been giving me the same message for some time now: Meditate.

One of the “jokes” in the yoga world is that when you don’t have time for yoga is when you need yoga. I believe the same applies for meditation.

Many of my yoga teachers make meditation part of their public classes. And they talk about its importance.

Mary, who is a teacher in my teacher training, is the main teacher focusing on meditation for my classmates and me.

In December for one Saturday class we focused on meditation and Mary had us do a homework project, which involved meditating 20-30 minutes a day for 10 days. I did the practice for the required time and once it was over I stopped meditating.

My therapist at some point asked to to start meditating. My resistance to it was that my yoga home practice time is limited and I don’t want to give half my time to meditation.

But then she told me something that hadn’t even occurred to me: you can meditate for one, two or three minutes. Once your life allows for a longer meditation you can meditate longer.

I had a lot of things I wanted to do on Sunday. They were to attend Vickie’s morning yoga class; attend an optional hour discussion on meditation before our required three hours of teacher training; the three hours of class; and Sunday night Restorative yoga class.

I knew that was all too much for me and something had to give. I decided to skip Vickie’s class and did my own home practice. This also gave me my whole morning to lounge, enjoy my coffee and do a little homework.

I knew my body needed and would benefit more from a Restorative class than an asana class.

This past weekend at yoga teacher training we had something called an Intensive Weekend.

We had class three hours on Friday, six hours on Saturday and three hours on Sunday. (Four hours on Sunday if you wanted to participate in an optional hour conversation about meditation before our three hours started.)

Friday night was my annual company party and the first one I have missed since working there. But I made a commitment to my schooling and becoming a yoga teacher.

Even though I was bummed to miss the party, the Friday night class was so much fun. We all took about five minutes to teach something to the class that had nothing to do with yoga.

Everyone taught something different and with so many different styles. I taught the class how to make salsa. Because I didn’t want to bring all the supplies and ingredients with me I took pictures of the items and showed pictures as I went step by step by what you do. I wore my onion goggles my friend Monica gave me, which I reviewed for the blog. And I brought some chips and salsa for everyone to taste.

Part of my yoga teacher training is to do 25 hours of observing and assisting various yoga teachers.

I have set up dates and times with four yoga teachers in the Deep Yoga program, essentially working with one teacher each week for one class over the next four months.

I observed my first class last Thursday with Vickie.

Vickie and I met briefly before class so she could let me know what she wanted me to look for and observe. Essentially my first observation was an open observation.

Many times in a class there will be a theme. The practice may also be gearing up to a particular pose, such as an inversion, like, Salamba Sarvangasana (Supported Shoulderstand) or a backbend, such as Ustrasana (Camel Pose).

As I observed for the hour and a half I was slightly jealous that they were all getting a practice in and I wasn’t. I so much wanted to join when the class started in a heart opener. I felt peace and tranquility when the class was in Savasana (Corpse Pose).

I took pages and pages of notes. I jotted down the sequence Vickie taught and practiced it later on my … Continue reading